‘Game of Thrones’: Does Benjen Know Who Jon Snow’s Real Parents Are?

WARNING: Potential Game of Thrones spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk!

Game of Thrones fans lost their minds last season when it was finally confirmed that Jon Snow wasn’t actually the bastard of Ned Stark, but the child of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. Just last week, it was confirmed that their marriage was legal, making Jon the heir to the Iron Throne.

This is easily the biggest secret in Westeros, as it appears that no one actually knows about it. However, if you go back to the very first episode of the series Benjen Stark may have known the truth all along.

Right after Benjen arrives in Winterfell, he and Jon have a conversation. Jon says that he wants to join him on the Night’s Watch. Benjen quickly tried to dissuade him of this idea. This is where things start to get interesting.

Jon says that he’s ready to swear the oath, taking the black as his uncle did. Benjen replies by saying, “You don’t understand what you’d be giving up. We have no families, none of us ever will.”

After Jon says that he doesn’t care about those things, Benjen responds, “You might, if you knew what it meant.”

At the time, it just seemed like Benjen was trying to tell his young nephew that having a family and loving a woman were more rewarding than he could imagine. However, knowing Jon’s lineage, this seems to mean much more.

If Benjen knew who Jon’s parents were, then he knew exactly how important Jon really was. He knew that, if Jon took the black, he would never be able to become rule Westeros as history had intended.

It tore Ned apart to keep the secret of Jon’s lineage to himself for his entire life. He couldn’t tell his best friend because that would get Jon killed. He couldn’t tell his wife because she would be upset that he had lied to her in the first place.

When you think about Benjen though, he seems like the perfect person to help keep Ned’s secret. The man is his brother, so there is already trust there, but he was also sworn to serve at Castle Black for the rest of his life. Benjen actually seems like the safest option in terms of a confidant for Ned.

Benjen has only been seen a couple of times throughout the series, and he’s living out in the wilderness north of the wall. With Jon heading that way in this episode, there’s a chance the two men could meet up again, and Jon could learn the truth about where he comes from.

The next episode of Game of Thrones is titled “Beyond the Wall,” and will premiere on HBO on August 20.